The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-04

THE CHINESE WAITING ON THEIR TEACHERS.
These entertainments are in different forms,
but always include banquet. The Chinese
insist upon providing ever ything and act
themselves as walters at the tables. l at
tended one of these banquets at the moment
when the Cinnamon were waiting on their
teachers. Each pupil was laying himself
out to give his own favorite a very large
dose of dyspepsia. Each one stood behind
the chair of his guest and continued to pile
dainties of all sorts upon her plate. Flowers
in abundance decorated the table, and if
the girls had eaten or drank all that was
given them, they never would have gotten
up from that table of their own volition.
The Cinnamon will never sit down at the
table on these occasions, looking upon this
as a slight to the young ladies 1t IS only
after the latter have finished their meal,
that the Cinnamon will sit down. The
young women have frequently attempted
to reciprocate by waiting upon their hosts,
but this proposition they resented in horror.
During the entire time that the entertain
ment have referred to was in progress the
Cinnamon laid themselves out to make
things pleasant for their guests. The only
peculiar thing about their attentions was
that they were all Of an intimate and almost
affectionate nature.
Every summer the Cinnamon unite and
wanna Island on the Hudson is a favorite
place for these excursions. They charter
one of the largest and best fitted excur-
sion steamers, and usually take about 500 OF
their teachers and the teachers friends for
an outing.
Twas present on one of these excursions
and was much surprised at what saw. On
board the steamer, as we swept up the Hud-
son, a Chinese band poured out alleged mel
ody in large doses. 1t was a combination
of the most horrible and screeching sounds
that can possibly be imagined. The chorus
of a score of Baxter street cats on a mid
summer night would hardly approach it in
its torturing effects. The band consisted of
ten men, two of whom played cymbals
which weighed about twenty pounds. One
of the alleged sweet-tuned instruments was
a brass pan which hung suspended from a
rope and was industriously pounded by a
sweating Chinaman with heavy copper
knobbed stick. There were three or four
snare drums and a bamboo drum, which
was there simply for show, as it could not
be heard. There were also several string in
struments, flutes and horns. The China
men were i'll their national costume and
were served with large quantities of cold
tea by their friends. They played Chinese
tunes from memory.
There were a number of good-looking
Cinnamon ON board who were dressed in the
American style. One of these caught my
attention particularly. He wore a cuta-
way black diagonal coat and vest, with
light trousers and patent leather shoes and
a tall hat. Although it was very hot, he
wore dainty kid gloves and two large dia-
monds sparkled in his shirt bosom. He
seemed particularly gallant in his attentions
to the guests.
When the party landed at Oscawana I
noticed that he walked away into the woods
with pretty American girl, When saw
him next he was seated on log beside her,
with his arm leaning on the limb of a tree,
which came down low back of them, in
such a manner as to allow it to rest gently
together in low tones. He was daintily
tapping his patent leather shoe with a
freshly cut switch. Throughout the
whole day he paid this young woman a
great many attentions in such a marked
manner as to win the disapproval of some
of the older people who had gone along for
proprietys sake.
A number of other couples strayed
through the woods in the same way, osten-
siby gathering flowers. The happy shouts
of the American girls could be heard ring
ing clearlyin queer contrast with the sing
song voices of their Chinese associates
Tables were spread in the grove, piled up
with dainty foods and real lemonade. Fire
crackers and Chinese day fireworks were set
off during the whole time thai the party re-
manned on the island The girls were COM
PEELED to eat and drink long after they had
evinced desire to stop, and the Cinnamon
refused to touch morsel, although they
had abstained from eating a long time, until
their guests had finished.
On the return tripthe party was jollier
than ever. In the soft twilight, as the
steamer turned her prov down the Hudson.
the Chinese started TO sing hymns. Little
groups were scattered here and there about
the decks, and everything was as jolly as on